nibble (away) at
phrasal verb
nibbled (away) at; nibbling (away) at; nibbles (away) at
: to make (something) disappear or go away very slowly
Police have been nibbling (away) at crime in the city for years.
Examples of nibble (away) at in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Hotels in the heart of Megève village Hospitality chains are slowly starting to nibble away at the traditional allure of the village here.
—
Rooksana Hossenally, Forbes, 26 Oct. 2024
Republicans found value in the early culture war skirmishes and started to help some Christians nibble at political power.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 17 Sep. 2024
The Federal Trade Commission has tried to nibble at the drugs’ exclusivity periods by challenging Novo Nordisk patent filings on applicators used to inject the drugs — which would extend their market exclusivity up to 30 months.
—Erin Prater, Fortune Well, 7 Aug. 2024
As Selvidge tried to nibble at the corners, Pettitte told him to trust his fastball.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 2 June 2024
Washington should assist New Delhi in deterring further Chinese attempts to nibble away at Indian territory and be ready to respond quickly in case events spiral out of control.
—Lisa Curtis, Foreign Affairs, 15 Feb. 2023
The mineral-rich, crystal-clear green water is warm and filled with tadpoles that delicately nibble at your feet — nature's exfoliant.
—Maya Kachroo-Levine, Travel + Leisure, 16 Apr. 2024
Women nibble at gender gap while ethnic gaps increase
The gender gap in pay, which has long been apparent when IEEE-USA conducts salary surveys, shrunk by $7,100 in 2022, though men still significantly out-earn women by an average of $26,800.
—IEEE Spectrum, 26 Sep. 2023
Malaysia does some of that kind of work now, and India could nibble away at its market there while doubling down on chip design.
—Alex Travelli, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2023
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illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of
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Rooksana Hossenally, Forbes, 26 Oct. 2024
Republicans found value in the early culture war skirmishes and started to help some Christians nibble at political power.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 17 Sep. 2024
The Federal Trade Commission has tried to nibble at the drugs’ exclusivity periods by challenging Novo Nordisk patent filings on applicators used to inject the drugs — which would extend their market exclusivity up to 30 months.
—Erin Prater, Fortune Well, 7 Aug. 2024
As Selvidge tried to nibble at the corners, Pettitte told him to trust his fastball.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 2 June 2024
Washington should assist New Delhi in deterring further Chinese attempts to nibble away at Indian territory and be ready to respond quickly in case events spiral out of control.
—Lisa Curtis, Foreign Affairs, 15 Feb. 2023
The mineral-rich, crystal-clear green water is warm and filled with tadpoles that delicately nibble at your feet — nature's exfoliant.
—Maya Kachroo-Levine, Travel + Leisure, 16 Apr. 2024
Women nibble at gender gap while ethnic gaps increase
The gender gap in pay, which has long been apparent when IEEE-USA conducts salary surveys, shrunk by $7,100 in 2022, though men still significantly out-earn women by an average of $26,800.
—IEEE Spectrum, 26 Sep. 2023
Malaysia does some of that kind of work now, and India could nibble away at its market there while doubling down on chip design.
—Alex Travelli, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2023
Dictionary Entries Near nibble (away) at
Cite this Entry
“Nibble (away) at.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nibble%20%28away%29%20at. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.
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